Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-15

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

You recently did a short cookery course. The cookery school has asked for your feedback on this course. Write a letter to the course director at the cookery school. In your letter

• describe what you enjoyed about the course
• say how much cooking you've done since the course
• suggest another cookery course you’d like the school to offer

You do NOT need to write any addresses.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing this letter to express my feedback on the recent cookery course. I would like to mention about couple of things as per the request of school.

I joined the classes a month ago to learn about the Indian food. I enjoyed every class during the course, but I would like to mention specifically about the behaviour of the instructors. Every professor was so calm, friendly and knowledgable. They explained everything in detail so clearly.

Our classes were almost two hours long, and every class was so interesting. On each day, I practiced to learn cooking for one and half hour and I spent the remaining time on theory.

Cooking is one of my favourite hobbies, so I would like to suggest some other cookery courses as well. I recommend some European and Greek dishes programs such as pasta, apple pies and greek salads.

Kind regards,

Linda Merchant

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The letter is relevant and includes positive comments about the instructors and a suggestion for future courses, but it responds only minimally to the task overall. The enjoyment point is mainly about the teachers’ behaviour and clear explanations; it would be stronger with a specific example of a dish or skill you enjoyed learning. More importantly, you do not say how much cooking you have done since the course. The sentence about practising during each class describes activity during the course, not afterwards, so this required point is missing. The final suggestion names European and Greek dishes, but could be made more specific as a course proposal. Addressing all three points directly would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The letter has a recognisable structure, with an opening, separate paragraphs for course experience and suggestions, and an appropriate closing. The ideas are generally easy to follow, and phrases such as “but” and “so” help connect points. However, the progression is not fully effective: the paragraph about class duration and time spent on theory does not clearly lead to the required information about cooking since the course. The opening also promises “a couple of things” without clearly previewing them, and “as per the request of school” is an awkward link. Organise the body around the three requested points and use clearer transitions to show how each paragraph relates to the task.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for a formal feedback letter, including “instructors,” “explained everything in detail,” and “recommend.” These choices communicate your meaning, and the food examples make the proposed course more concrete. There are some inaccurate or unnatural collocations, however, such as “express my feedback,” “mention about,” and “classes ... to learn about the Indian food.” “Professor” is also not the most suitable term for cookery teachers, while “programs” is less natural than “courses” in this context. These choices do not prevent understanding, but more precise, idiomatic phrasing would improve control. Check spelling and capitalisation too, as in “knowledgeable” and “Greek.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response includes both simple sentences and some longer structures, such as “I enjoyed every class during the course, but...” and “Cooking is one of my favourite hobbies, so...”. Most meanings remain clear, and punctuation generally separates the ideas effectively. Some grammatical errors remain, including the missing article in “about couple of things,” the unnecessary article in “the Indian food,” and the incorrect pattern “I practiced to learn cooking.” The phrase “one and half hour” also needs a more accurate quantity form, and “I am writing this letter” is followed by a slightly awkward construction. Review articles, countable expressions, and verb patterns, then proofread each sentence for accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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